kamyk2000 Reviews

Crimson Peak (2015)

Gothic? Yes. Horror? Marginally. Worth watching? Mostly.

[7/10 · 31 October 2015]

Let's get right to the point. This movie is touted as a Gothic horror. The trailers certainly seem to indicate such. What it turns out more to be is a Gothic "romance"/tragedy/mystery with horror elements.

The good: The premise of the story is unoriginal, but is nevertheless a captivating one at first. The production values are fantastic. Special effects? Top notch. Sets? Excellent. Directing? Superb (of course). It's also a bit gory which I personally think makes it more realistic, (but it's certainly nothing remotely resembling "torture porn" like Saw, or even Hellraiser).

The mediocre: While mood appropriate and well performed, the soundtrack is utterly forgettable. The sound effects are superb, but also utterly forgettable (save perhaps the house "moaning" in one scene). The ghostly elements are very nicely pulled off. At least on a par with "Mama", but ultimately serve no real purpose to the plot in any way. I debated them being a plus, but they could be removed from the movie and the plot wouldn't change in the slightest. Some of the acting is less than stellar as well. Certainly nothing terrible, but nothing anyone is going to get an Oscar for either.

The bad: The story is entirely predictable. Not a single original idea (other than perhaps the setting). If it had been written as a novel around the same time as Frankenstein and Dracula and the like it would have fit right in, and probably now be considered a classic. However being made in this day and age it's just a rehash of your typical Gothic novel clichés. Is it a Gothic "novel"? Absolutely. To the core, but did I mention the plot is ridiculously predictable? If you watch this movie and think you've guessed a plot turn (I won't even grace it with the word "twist"), then you probably guessed right.

The ugly: Anyone who has seen a previous horror movie directed/produced/written by Del Toro, here's a caveat:Don't expect to be scared. It has none of the tension or shocks of ANY of his previous horror endeavors.

Ultimately is it worth going to see? Yes. I did give it 7/10. It's well made and it wasn't at all boring. Go see it if you have an hour or so, and like Gothic novels or other forms of media with dark Gothic themes. However, don't expect much horror unless the mere sight of wispy black figures freaks you out. But if you are the kind of moviegoer who likes to be kept guessing until the "reveal" where you go "Oh wow, I never saw that coming" this movie is certainly not for you.

The Task (2011)

Not as bad as all that. Just not a gore-fest, so if you want one, this isn't it.

[6/10 · 8 August 2011]

As some other reviewers have said already, this movie actually has a fairly original plot idea.

The basic premise is that a group of people signed up for a reality game show, and are "kidnapped", and then taken to a deserted prison with a nasty history. If they stay the night and complete the tasks given to them by the show producers, they walk away with $20,000 each. The way the idea is portrayed, it actually would make a good "reality" TV show.

Strange things begin to happen, of course, but are they supernatural, or part of the show? Seems like it would be pretty predictable, but it has a few unexpected twists.

Basically this movie uses tension and atmosphere to drive it for the most part, although there is some occasional blood. As for that, let me just say that in some cases there is a lot of gore, in others there is not. The reason for this becomes clear later in the movie. At least to anyone who paid attention. I have to say it surprises me how many people will crap on a decent horror movie just because it doesn't have tons of blood and violence happening every ten minutes. This movie is not a gorror movie, nor is it designed to make you jump. As I said above, it is mostly about tension and atmosphere. To be fair, I have to say the cover for the DVD is very misleading.

It also has decent acting. No Oscar winners here, but neither would any of them get razzie awards. The characters are believable, and I disagree that any of the dialogue was stupid - in the sense that it is perfectly believable dialogue you would expect from the types of characters portrayed. Your average reality show contestant isn't exactly a shakespearean player or professional speaker you know. They say exactly the sorts of things you would expect your average person to say.

On the flip side I will say that there are a few things about it that are kind of lame, but I think some of them fit. The game show uses a clown video to deliver the tasks to the participants, and its pretty stupid, but hey blame that on the game show producers, not on the movie. It isn't intended to be scary, it's just the type of lame crap a reality game show would use. Some of the tasks are kind of stupid too, but again just what you'd expect from a reality game show.

I also do have to say that some of the characters in this movie do seem kind of dumb, although that's par for the course for most horror movies.

The story could have been a bit more detailed, and more history given on the characters, particularly the antagonist. Finally, I agree that the ending wasn't very satisfying.

In summary, if you are looking for a horror movie with lots of gore and/or jumps, this is not it. If you are looking for a story where everything gets explained, and you learn all about the characters to the point where you know their family history (exaggeration), this isn't it either.

But if you are looking for a movie with a decent plot, and some tension and atmosphere, don't let the negative reviews put you off. This movie isn't terrible, it just isn't great either.

The Hills Have Eyes (2006)

I wasn't overly impressed

[4/10 · 7 September 2010]

To begin with I will say that this movie had some good things going for it. The acting was good, the special effects were good, the story was decent, it was suitably graphic... It could have been a great movie, and in many ways was... If it weren't for a VERY big issue I had with this movie, I'd have given it an 8.

However, as a horror fanatic, I can't say the gory bits were anything over the top shocking. They weren't anything I haven't seen before in other gorror films. I don't get why everyone seems to rave about the level of graphicness in this movie.

In particular though, I simply could not believe how utterly moronic the family were. It constantly ruined my suspension of disbelief. No one can be as stupid as they were, and if people as a rule are, then I hold no hope for the human race.

***SPOILERS***

I mean come on. "well ye take thut there dirt road to the left, and it migh save ye a couple hurs". Helllooooo! Ever hear of highway robbery? There is a reason that term exists, and the old coot giving fake directions is one of the oldest tricks in the book.

BAM!!! A four tire blowout! What are the odds? Must be a funny coincidence. o.O NOT!

Then Dad finally gets a clue at the gas station, and wastes bullets firing at empty air. Then tries the clunker without checking if it has gas. Then gets back in without checking the back seat.

Next we have the genius brother in law wandering down the dirt road to "Gawrsh a dead end Mickey! Hyuck. Wonder how that got there?" Full of abandoned cars no less. He still has no clue. Are these people mentally challenged?

Jump ahead to the trailer scene. How can these people be so oblivious that they don't see there is someone in the trailer raping the daughter? Yes, dad is on fire. Does everyone's peripheral vision shut down in a crisis?

Etc, etc, etc... I could go on and on, but I'll skip to the last part. The "climax". Who didn't see that coming from ten miles away? Oh, yeah, the idiot brother in law when he left the mutant for dead instead of throwing him off the stupid cliff.

***END SPOILERS***

This movie just plain abounded with absolute utter brainlessness in the characters. It did not cause me tension, or dread, it caused me to bang my head in frustration with their sheer stupidity. The only one with half a brain was the kid, and only half of one.

It isn't suspense when you are that far ahead of the characters. Particularly when they shouldn't be so far behind you. Its frustration and disbelief anyone could be that stupid. If you can swallow that kind of idiocy, and are either terrified of gorror, or amused by it, this film might be for you. I suppose it's the perfect gorror film, because it is the epitome of one, but if you are sick to death of the usual horror clichés like "let's split up", and "run away and hide when the killer is vulnerable" type crap, do yourself a favor and skip this one, it's drowning in it.

The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)

Why compare when you can enjoy?

[8/10 · 7 December 2004]

I thought this movie was riveting. It did start a little slow, but soon thereafter caught my full attention. I had to change mental gears from expecting a Pitch Black sequel/clone, but not in a bad way at all. And there ARE tie-ins with Pitch Black plainly evident unless you aren't particularly observant or haven't seen Pitch Black. I thought the special effects were some of the best I have seen in a very long time, and after I began to become adjusted to the more involved background story, I found it engrossing. I felt that the characters had some depth to them. Enough for me to care a little about a few of them anyway, and Riddick became a little less of a cardboard cut-out, and a little more intricate in this movie. Some of the action sequences are also pretty impressive. I find it quite disappointing that this did not do better in theaters, and intend my rental to become a purchase. I hope that they continue the series with the next one? or two? movies that have been rumored to be following.

Those who found the movie itself disappointing, I would guess would be: 1) Hardcore sci-fi, or action movie fans who spent way too much time making mental comparisons to their favorite storyline/universe, or acting star during a movie to actually just enjoy the movie. 2) People who just wanted straight up action without all of the intricate details of a sci-fi storyline. 3) People expecting a sequel to Pitch black that didn't grow or expand on the storyline or character, who couldn't switch gears.

I took this film as THIS film, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I did not spend the entire movie making mental comparisons to other sci-fi or action movies or stars. Yes some of it's ideas have been used before. So what? Plumbing was an idea used by the ancient Greek and roman civilizations. Should we not use plumbing, because someone else used it before? If you spend all of the time during the movie making comparisons, then you might not give the movie the full attention it deserves.

For any who enjoy a good sci-fi action movie with a little thought behind it, and don't have some holy grail to compare it with, I would highly recommend this one.